National Antivisection Society
Today
The NAVS is the world’s premier anti-vivisection group, leading the campaign for the abolition of cruel and futile experiments on animals for over 100 years. Founded in 1875, we have consistently received the support of major public figures from Queen Victoria and Lord Shaftesbury in our early days, to Members of Parliament and celebrity supporters in modern times.
(A history of the Society is available.)
Working within the law, the NAVS has brought the plight of laboratory animals to the attention of caring people. We produce scientific reports criticising animal experiments, for parliament, government committees, and the media; organise undercover investigations in the UK and abroad, exposing both suffering, and bad science in animal labs; produce educational materials; fund non-animal scientific and medical research; provide evidence to government departments and committees.
The Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research
The Society funds non-animal research through the Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research, a department of the NAVS. Founded in 1973 and named in honour of Air Chief Marshal the Lord Dowding (of World War II ‘Battle of Britain’), a past President of the NAVS, the Fund has awarded in excess of £2million in grants.
Animal Defenders International
In 1990 we founded Animal Defenders International, to campaign on a broader range of animal and environmental issues. Our campaign against the use of circuses received the support of over 200 Members of the UK Parliament. In 1999, our evidence secured the convictions for cruelty of top circus trainer Mary Chipperfield, her husband Roger Cawley, and their elephant keeper. Our devastating expose of the treatment of animals in circuses has created a storm of protest worldwide; in the past few years the campaign has secured bans on the use of animals in cities all over South America, Europe, and in Asia.
NAVS scientific reports
Since 1986, the approach taken in the NAVS scientific reports on the use of animals in laboratories has broken new ground in the campaigns against the use of animals in research, raising the level of debate in the media, in Parliament, and in schools and universities.
- ’Good Charities Guide’ - a report on charity funding of vivisection, and lists charities which do, and which do not, fund animal experiments. The NAVS campaign to alert the public to charity funding of vivisection has already persuaded some to move away from funding animal research. See also ‘Pocketguide version’.
- ’Unreliable, Unethical, Unnecessary’ - scientific facts about animal experiments and species differences.
- ’Monkeys & Men’- neuroscience research on primates.
- ’Vivisection In Britain’, ‘Labs Unlocked’, ‘Access Denied’ - technical reports on the use of animals in specific laboratories have been produced as a result of undercover investigations by NAVS Field Officers.
Undercover investigations
The NAVS pioneered the use of undercover material to expose the suffering caused to animals in laboratories. Some of our investigative work has led to the rescue of animals from laboratories. Species rescued include rats, mice, dogs, chickens.
- The first recorded undercover investigation was publicised by the NAVS and led to a notorious legal case. This case became known as the ‘Brown Dog Affair’. Two Swedish anti-vivisectionists, Leisa Schartau and Louise Lind-af-Hageby, enrolled as students at the University of London and obtained first-hand evidence of extreme cruelty, repeated use of animals, and bad scientific practice. Their book, ‘Shambles of Science’ was published in 1903 and led the NAVS into a legal battle and eventually, riots over a memorial to the suffering of one small brown dog.
- ’Biohazard’, a two-year investigation into the hazards of the creation of new diseases in animal laboratories, and in particular the story of the simian and human versions of the AIDS viruses, shocked MPs and scientists alike.
- Laboratories exposed include Toxicol Laboratories (later Quintiles), Herefordshire; Institute of Neurology, London; Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School, London; St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London; St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London; SmithKline Beecham laboratories, Stock, Essex; John Radcliffe hospital, Oxford. Our report on one London laboratory led to its licence to experiment on animals being revoked; in another, a series of experiments on cats were suspended due to the extreme suffering caused.
Click on the relevant report:
1984 Toxicol Laboratories, Herefordshire
1991 ‘Vivisection In Britain’, St Bartholomew’s Hospital & SmithKline Beecham
1993 Consort Ltd., lab animal dealer
1994 Interfauna Ltd., lab animal dealer
1994 ‘Labs Unlocked’, St. Mary’s Hospital & Toxicol Laboratories
1996 ‘Access Denied’, Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School & Institute of Neurology
1999 John Radcliffe Hospital
2005 Documents leaked from Inveresk Research near Edinburgh
- The Society has also exposed animal experimentation in laboratories all over the world: Mexico, USA, Eastern Europe, and many more.
- Here in the UK, our reports have also exposed to public scrutiny the extreme level of secrecy and lack of accountability amongst the scientific community, and the secret practices at the Home Office in licensing these experiments.
’Accountability’ report, ‘Access Denied’ report, and our ‘Secret’ and ‘Violence’ briefings for MPs, provide evidence for our campaign for Freedom of Information on Animal Experiments.
The first-hand evidence, film, and photographs of our undercover investigations have been presented to Parliament and media, bringing people face to face with the reality of the secret world of animal experimentation.
In 1986 the NAVS commenced research and production of a series of medical historical articles and publications, detailing major medical advances and the influence of clinical medical research and studies of people and their lifestyle, as opposed to animal experiments. This groundbreaking work built upon the work of Dr Beddow Bayly in the 1950s and 60s, who produced many reports on clinical medical discoveries which had later been claimed as victories by the animal experimenters. Our technical reports on cancer, diabetes, corneal transplants, blood transfusion, and many other areas have revealed how animal research has often held back medical progress.
Educational programmes
Another NAVS innovation has been the creation of comprehensive educational programmes on CD and video, for use in schools and universities. Our interactive pack of student worksheets, CD-ROM, video, and teacher’s notes have replaced our school speakers with a wider educational source which stimulates the debate and brings a library of information to lessons.
Our campaign against the use of animals in school biology lessons was a huge success, with dissection removed as a requirement at GCSE and A level.
In universities, we have funded the replacement of the use of animals in biological sciences with computer programmes; this has saved the lives of tens of thousands of animals which would have been used in a wide range of courses.
Political pressure
At our parliamentary exhibitions, meetings, and receptions, we screen filmed evidence on the use of animals in labs, and provide MPs and government officials with briefings; we also attend the political party conferences to put animals on the political agenda. The NAVS is supported by politicians from all parties.
Information tours
These have included a touring campaigns bus, town centre information stands, and library exhibitions. Don’t be surprised to encounter us at major shows, concerts, and festivals.
Publicity events
Our peaceful marches and rallies have attracted 25,000 people; we have organised music concerts and other entertainment events; our giant inflatable beagle has toured the country; we have generated huge illuminations condemning vivisection; we have sailed down the river Thames with our message.
The NAVS founded World Day for Laboratory Animals on April 24 each year (Lord Dowding’s birthday), and this day of commemoration of the suffering of millions of laboratory animals worldwide is recognised by the United Nations. Now commonly known as Lab Animal Day, marked by the Lab Animal Week of activities, this special day is marked by anti-vivisectionists all over the globe.
Another innovation has been the creation of a unique exhibition and show in the style of similar consumer events, but geared to educating the public on animal and environmental issues, in an entertaining and interactive environment. The Animal+World Show brings together animal and environmental organisations and includes talks, music, fashion, art, cookery demonstrations, and health care. The Show takes place every 2-3 years. The last Show was held in London, in 2000.
Celebrity support
Our work is supported and endorsed by TV and Hollywood stars, and other personalities who help us keep our message in the public eye, and often appear in our videos.
Every day, we respond to enquiries from parliamentarians, local authorities, public, and media and provide information to demonstrate that showing that animal experiments are not only cruel, but misleading and that there are better ways of conducting scientific and medical research.
All of this work is funded by our supporters. The NAVS is entirely dependent on voluntary aid; we receive no government assistance, nor lottery funding, nor tax benefits of charitable status.
Some famous anti-vivisectionists:
Queen Victoria
Mark Twain
Robert Browning
Alfred Lord Tennyson
George Bernard Shaw
John Ruskin
Earl of Shaftesbury
Thomas Carlyle
Henry Irving
Rev. C L Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)
Wagner
Victor Hugo
Samuel Johnson
Leo Tolstoy
The NAVS of today still enjoys widespread support amongst Members of Parliament and celebrities as well as the public. Some notable names are:-
Wendy Turner-Webster, TV presenter: ‘I remember reading in an NAVS leaflet about a weedkiller that was force fed to beagle puppies, even though it had already been on the market for over 20 years. What possessed them to carry out an experiment so cruel and terrible? I have been a supporter of the NAVS for a very long time because, like you, I totally believe that it is cruel and unnecessary to use animals in experiments. Any animal, whether it’s a mouse, a rat, a cat or dog, has the right to live its life free of pain and suffering.’
Alexei Sayle, comedian: ‘If they let us know what was happening to animals in the laboratories, the tide of public outrage would force them to stop.’
Jenny Seagrove, actress: ‘Animals shouldn’t be used in experiments it must end. I totally support the NAVS campaign to Unlock The Labs, there are plenty of ways now not to use animals for research.’
Please help us end the abuse of animals, please make a donation today…
action alerts